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Although I may not go very fancy I love to wrap. I used to wrap packages for mailing in my job so I am very neat at it. I use a different secret wrapping paper for gifts from Santa just in case The Boy catches on and I like to add little gifts in the wrapping.

My mom's mom uses brown paper bags for everyone and it doesn't matter what the occasion. It is her thing. My wedding gift was wrapped like that but I didn't care because she gave me pillowcases, handtowels, etc all hand embroidered. Still have them 26+ years later.

My FIL loves to make boxes with glue guns (lots of glue sticks---you have to blow torch them open) and he puts boxes inside boxes inside boxes, etc. He also has a gift for figuring out what is inside his gifts before they are opened.

Me: "So, what do you prefer, gift bags or gift wrap?"Him: "I don't know - I guess gift bags are more environmentally sound, but I don't see the need for any wrapping on my presents, really."Me: "Fine, then for your next birthday present I'll just stick a bow on it."Him: "Use a purple one, it'll bring out your eyes."

Me: "So, what do you prefer, gift bags or gift wrap?"Him: "I don't know - I guess gift bags are more environmentally sound, but I don't see the need for any wrapping on my presents, really."Me: "Fine, then for your next birthday present I'll just stick a bow on it."Him: "Use a purple one, it'll bring out your eyes."

For me, it's either boxes or wrapping the object in cellophane/colourful origami paper/gift-wrap paper. With huge ribbons-always. I kind of dislike gift bags- they're too impersonal for my taste; but this definitely doesn't mean they're not OK etiquette-wise. As gift boxes tend to be expensive where I live, I am re-conditioning old boxes by covering them with sticker paper. Where there were pictures or writing on the box that are still visible, I cover up with a pattern of little pieces of sticker paper and gift-wrap paper.

My husband's family used to wrap presents in the comics from the newspaper. They didn't have a lot of money, so being able to recycle the newspaper (not sure if it was theirs or if they just grabbed it from recycling bins) saved money. Now they usually use wrapping paper, but almost every year there will be a present or two that is wrapped in the comics, just for fun. Often they'll do it for a present that has some sort of nostalgic aspect, because then the paper is almost part of the present.

I just finished wrapping my father-in-law's Father's Day presents. I used the comics. And I made a "bow" by cutting strips of newspaper and folding them in half loosely in little stacks. I think it turned out pretty well. It works out well, as it has that nostalgic link that works perfectly for "Father's Day" of course, but also because we don't have any wrapping paper.

Back before I had cats who liked to interfere in the process I would wrap the tops and bottoms of certain boxes separately, then make elaborate bows with curling ribbon. I don't have the patience to attempt that anymore.

I've seen in a magazine an idea for turning old newspapers into gift-wrap; with a marker, draw simple shapes all over it (such as hearts or stars); if you have like 3 different-coloured markers and enough patience to do it the result looks pretty good.

My family is pretty casual about wrapping presents. Anything other than Christmas probably won't be wrapped. Christmas is whatever paper is around. For a wedding, I'll add a pretty bow. I also have secret santa paper and nametags.

Once she got to the "gift" there was nothing inside but she had a pile of "wrapping" worth $500!

That's one present I wouldn't object to!!!!

On topic: I'm the one who usually does the wrapping in my household. Let's just say that our dog could wrap a present neater than my stepsister could... It makes it really easy to find which present is mine from her. It's either really poorly wrapped or in a gift bag.

I also learn who is getting what too this way- I wind up wrapping the presents for my stepdad, my mom, and stepsister's BF...

I'm definitely a gift bag girl and I do 'em up - matching tissue, lots of ribbon, a pretty little ornament, and quite often tailored specifically to the giftee. They usually look quite nice when I'm done and a heck of a lot nicer than I can manage to achieve with wrapping paper with my subpar wrapping skills. Not only have I never heard any complaints, but my family fusses over them and they do get reused (I always tie on a tag rather than use the one that came with the bag.) Some of them reappeared for a couple of years!

I love wrapping presents very elaborately. At Christmas especially! Part of my holiday decorations is having fancy wrapped packages under the tree. I usually coordinate my paper -- immediate family in one color, friends in another, extended family in a third. It makes it easy to grab things on the fly. I use gift bags if the gift is very odd-shaped or I don't have a box the right size, but I always add pretty matching tissue paper and ribbon.

One thing I like to do for birthday and other presents is use plain brown paper, like for mailing packages, and dress it up with cool ribbon.

Last month, my bday present from my boyfriend was wrapped in a sea chart. He's in the Navy and keeps old charts from onboard ship to wrap gifts in. I LOVED it. My aunt who was for many years a newspaper editor used to save extras of the sunday funnies for wrapping paper.

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"I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced that they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference after another." -Ellen Goodman